Ledley's contract was also up in the summer and the Wales international has swapped Celtic for south London, signing a three-and-a-half year deal.

"It has been a long day," Ledley told Palace Player. "I have just been sitting at home, waiting to get some news. I managed to get a flight down and get everything sorted in time, so I am very pleased to have joined a fantastic club.

Ledley said it was "every boy's dream to play in the Premier League."

"I have played in the Champions League and I look forward to the challenge forward ahead," he said. "It is going to be difficult, but we have brought in some fantastic players and I am looking forward to it."

Earlier in the day, Palace made Jason Puncheon's loan move from Southampton permanent, with the midfielder agreeing a four-and-a-half-year deal, before signing goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey from Wolves for £3 million.

The Eagles then added defender Scott Dann from Blackburn for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old centre-back was linked with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham a few years ago when at Birmingham and was also tipped to make his debut for England in 2009 but only ever made two appearances for the under-21s.

He remains highly-rated by Palace boss Tony Pulis and will join the club's fight against relegation.

Puncheon, 27, who was at the Selhurst Park club as a youngster, said: "It is great to sign a permanent deal. It's something I dreamt about when I was a kid so I'm pleased to get it done.

"The massive factor in this was the chairman and the manager, the gaffer has shown great faith in me since he has been here and that's been unbelievable for me.

"It is a boost for me mentally - I thought it might happen at the end of the season, but it has come quicker and obviously that is good for both me and the football club."

Going in the other direction is Jose Campana, who has joined Bundesliga side Nurnberg on loan for the rest of the season with a view of making the deal permanent.

Campana was signed in the summer from Sevilla by former manager Ian Holloway, but has failed to make an impact in the first team this season.